For the first time in seven years, the Long Beach State women’s basketball team will start the Big West Conference season with a winning record after it routed Columbia 79-50 at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday.
The blowout win gives LBSU a 7-5 record and a three-game win streak as it heads into league play.
Sophomores Bianka Balthazar and Sigrid Skorpen led the 49ers with 17 points apiece, career-high numbers for both players. The sophomore duo connected three 3-points respectively on a 6-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc.
Center Devin Hudson posted her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds. She also provided a career-high four blocked shots.
Lauren Spargo added 10 points and five rebounds, while senior wing Mary Ochiltree chipped in eight points, eight rebounds, and a career-high five steals. Point guard Alex Sanchez added seven assists to help the ‘Niners complete their dominant performance.
The Beach led the game wire-to-wire. After starting the game with a 9-0 run, the 49ers let the deficit get as small as six at 14-8 at the 10:52 mark, but a pair of free throws by Hudson and a layup from Ella Clark gave them a double-digit lead with under 10 minutes remaining.
From then on, the Lions’ deficit never got smaller than 10 points. The ‘Niners gave themselves a comfortable 26-10 lead with under five minutes remaining, and although the Lions made a 8-2 run to make it 28-18 at the 2:01 mark, the lead was extended to 34-18 at halftime.
Eight minutes into the second half, The Beach mounted a 22-8 run and opened up the lead further at 56-28 thanks to eight points by Balthazar. The Lions answered back with a 10-0 run, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Skorpen and Ochiltree gave the ‘Niners a convincing 62-38 lead at the 5:43 mark.
The game never got closer from that point on, as LBSU led by as many as 31 points en route to capping off a dominant 79-50 win.
The win over Columbia is the 49ers’ first victory by 20 or more points in over a year, the last being a dominant 76-56 win over 76-56 last year. The Beach shot 45.2 percent from the field while holding the Lions to just 27 percent.
The ‘Niners also outrebounded Columbia 50 to 34, and notched 23 assists compared to their opponent’s six.
The Big West opener for The Beach will be on Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. against Cal Poly at the Walter Pyramid.